The present invention relates to video tape recording and play-back and in particular to a system for increasing the recording/play-back time of video cassettes.
In video tape devices, as for example home recorders, for economic reasons, it is highly desirable to minimize the tape consumption rate. This is particularly so for the magnetic recording/play-back of color video signals. As a result, the tape advance speed has been reduced as much as is technically feasible and the magnetic surface of the tape is used extensively.
Such home video recorders are usually operated with tape cassettes. Accordingly, the dimensions of the cassette housing limit the available tape play time. It is desirable to keep the cassettes as compact as possible while maximizing the available play time of the tape cassette. Of the cassette dimensions, the cassette height (which is determined by the tape width) has little overall effect on the cassette compactness. Heretofore devices for the recording/play-back of slanted track video signals operated on tape cassettes in which the tape travelled operationally in one direction only and the tracks extended over substantially the entire top width.
In view of the above, it is the principle object of the present invention to provide a video tape recording/play-back system of the cassette type wherein the time capacity of the cassette is increased by substantially fifty percent without substantially changing the cassette dimensions and wherein the tape band width remains the same or is only slightly changed.